Recap: Harry rolled his eyes at the blond and opened the door, pushing him inside before going inside himself.
Just as they entered, a certain redhead skidded to a halt in front of them. "Malfoy!"
Mad About You
Chapter Four: Great Day
Near France
A large, sprawling flat lay on the outskirts of a muggle town near France. No one knew the owner, never seen him or her, never knew anything other than that he/she was a recluse, apparently. It never bothered anyone, as the place was far enough away that they never heard any loud noises, and that suited them fine. How wrong they were.
For the bane of the whole Wizarding World, and a small handful of highly dangerous followers had taken refuge there.
Deacon Smythwyckt appeared outside with a resounding 'pop.' His master was expecting a report – a report that he would find only half-pleasing.
He entered the house and quickly made his way up to the room his master was currently in. It was lit only by fire from the fireplace, casting mysterious shadows around the scarce furniture.
Lord Voldemort sat in one of the plush chairs by the lit fireplace, idly stroking his giant snake's head.
In a cold, demeaning voice, he spoke. "Enter, Smythwyckt."
Smythwyckt walked directly over to the robed form of his master and knelt. "My lord, I bring news about the recruitment." His head was lowered further than the height of Voldemort's knees, and he refused to look up. Voldemort waited for him to continue.
"I-I've gone to visit Malfoy Manor, about his son."
"Your attempt was unsuccessful." It was more of a statement than a question. 'He knows.'
"Yes, my Lord. His wife, Narcissa, stopped me from t-taking him for you." Smythwyckt crouched even lower, if possible. He hurriedly continued, if only to lessen the severity of the punishment for failure, "I took care of Narcissa, so it shall be easier next time."
"Quick thinking, Smythwyckt. You might prove useful yet." Voldemort's hand continued lazily stroking Nagini's scaly head.
"T-Thank you my lord, thank you." Smythwyckt simpered as he began backing out of the room, still kneeled.
Voldemort's eyes flashed as he raised his hand, now suddenly holding his wand, to pause him. "Smythwyckt? Don't ever fail me again. Crucio."
Smythwyckt fell completely onto the floor, bucking and writhing in agony. His mouth opened and closed, small grunts of pain escaping while his eyes squeezed shut. After a few drawn-out seconds of seeing him gasping on the floor, Voldemort lifted the curse.
"Take Synet with you and continue recruiting. Next time you report back… bring something... entertaining. Send for Bellatrix as you leave."
Smythwyckt nodded and crawled out of the room, still twitching with pain. He found the female Death Eater standing in the Entrance hall, holding a rolled up paper of some sort. He waved her up, not trusting his voice after the Cruciatus.
Voldemort waited for Bellatrix to appear, calmly returning to petting Nagini.
"These fools… it's one disappointment after another…" He hissed to her in Parseltongue. Before she could answer him, Bellatrix entered.
"Ahh, Bella… come." Bellatrix was one of his most favored Death Eaters – she was skilled with the Cruciatus Curse, and had caused Harry Potter much pain by killing Sirius Black. Yes, he had been granted sight into some of Harry's dreams of his worst memories. He took particular pleasure in making Harry relive the pain he felt at those moments fresh again like a wound refusing to close, every single dream. It was the least he could offer the boy, after getting eleven Death Eaters captured in a single night. Eleven, all because of one failed plan. The thought disgusted him that they weren't competent enough to get a simple prophecy for him without bumbling it up.
"M'lord, I bring the plans for Azkaban prison."
"Excellent." He let a cruel smile play over his features. "I knew I could count on you Bella, even after the mishap at the Department of Mysteries." She winced at the reminder, spreading the blue prints out on the coffee table in front of him, placing weights on the edges to hold it down.
"They have guards at almost every division now. They're holding Death Eaters here," She pointed to a large red block near the center of the prison, underground. "With the highest security."
"Yes, of course. With the dementors, they shouldn't be much of a problem." He sat quietly looking over the blue prints for a second, thinking of the planned breakout. It would be perfect, and he would get back his full ranks…
As he listened to Bellatrix, he smirked evilly, thinking, 'Yes, this won't be a problem at all.'
Grimmauld Place, London
Harry's insides gave a funny leap at the exact same moment when he entered Black Manor.
"Malfoy!"
The blond in question had halted just inside the door where Harry had pushed him, staring at the redheaded boy exclaiming his name. Next to him was his devious identical twin. They looked exactly the same as last year, if not a little lankier with longer hair in mop-top styles.
"Fred! George! What are you doing here?" Harry looked at the two older boys in surprise. He hadn't expected to see them here, when it was the middle of the day and they had Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes to run.
"Harry!" They both clapped him on the shoulders. "Good to see you mate." Fred began.
"Even though you look like you've been to hell and back." George continued.
Draco bristled slightly at the comment. He clicked his tongue, "Weasleys. Never know when to stop."
Fred eyed him for a second. "So what's this ball of snaky sunshine doing here?"
"And what's he doing with you, Harry?" The mischievous glint returned to their eyes as George sighed and leaned into Fred. "Our Harry is being corrupted by the Slytherin Prince, we might just have to change the name to Prince Charming." The comment caused Draco to flush slightly.
"Ohh, look at that, he's blushing. You might be right George."
"Wait a minute – "
Fred interrupted Draco by grinning to Harry, "And here I thought you'd be the Prince if the occasion ever arose."
"I don't know, Fred, maybe he is," George added, looking over Draco.
Harry was turning red with every comment even though he didn't exactly know why. Were they implying he was gay? With his cheeks burning, he cut in, "Stop it! Malfoy and I are just friends, nothing more. I can't believe that's the conclusion you two jump to, seeing us together!" Fred and George grinned at him, not looking convinced.
"He's here for a reason, and we've just made a truce. We're not together," He waved his hand embarrassedly. "… Like that."
Draco looked anywhere but Harry while hearing him talk. It was only further proof that Harry would never want to be with him 'like that.' He probably thought it was disgusting anyhow. Draco had to get out of there.
"Yes well, I'm going to my room before the other Weasley decides to pop up with Granger." He didn't wait for anyone to comment before taking off up the stairs. They listened to his footsteps down the hall then his door shutting firmly before looking back down to each other.
"Princess looked upset, Harry." George said. Harry ripped his eyes off of the stairs where Draco had disappeared from and scowled at the brothers.
"So what are you two doing here?" Harry asked, changing the subject. Fred swung his arm around Harry's shoulders.
"We, my friend, are here… to test some new products…" He began.
"… And for food." George finished.
"New products?" Harry grinned. Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes had taken off surprisingly well since it opened. Harry was happy he helped them out; Fred and George were geniuses when it came to jokes and tricks.
"Yep. You'll see at lunchtime." Fred's eyes glinted as he said this, George's face turning into a smile also.
'I doubt …Draco will be at lunch,' Harry thought, testing Malfoy's name in his head again.
Fred squeezed around Harry's shoulders, scrunching him against him. Seeing him look up the stairs with a question on his face, he added, "Don't worry about your Princess, Harry. Our target is Ron."
"I wasn't even worrying about that. Are you going to keep calling him that?" Harry frowned.
"What – yours or Princess?"
"Er… Both."
"Yes." They answered in unison with perfectly innocent looks on their faces now.
Harry sighed. 'They'll never change at least.'
"Okay. He won't like it though. And he's not mine." Harry insisted, dragging a hand through his hair. "I've got to go do some… homework. So I'll see you guys later."
Fred and George clapped his shoulder with their hands again. "Sure thing, Prince Charming. We've got to go find Ron anyway."
"'Kay. Hey," He stopped them. "Ron and Hermione don't know he's here yet. Keep it that way?"
They nodded and headed off down the hall.
Alone again, Harry sighed. He slowly made his way upstairs. Truthfully, he did have homework to do, but he also wanted to think.
Upstairs, Draco had much of the same thing to do. Talking to Harry had gone extremely well, especially from what he'd been expecting.
Draco lied on the bed, on his stomach, clutching one of the pillows to rest his head on. He'd gone straight to the bed after leaving Harry with the twins. He squeezed the pillow as he thought about their talk.
Harry actually let him talk.
Harry actually let him call him Harry.
Harry actually liked him calling him Harry.
Harry accepted the truce.
Harry looked really good when he smiled.
Draco rolled over onto his back. He, Draco Malfoy, had called a truce with Harry Potter. They could be friends now, as he had wanted ever since they met. Harry had looked at him without hate or anger. And the way his eyes glittered with tears when he first turned around to face him…
Draco closed his eyes, frowning slightly as he recalled the scene. He'd been crying and yelling about something. When Draco exited the house into the backyard and seen Harry so vulnerable, all he'd wanted to do was go to him and comfort him. And when he'd seen Harry's physical state, he'd wanted to wrap his arms around Harry as he climbed into his lap and hid his face into the crook of his neck, allowing Draco time to breathe in his scent. He would rub Harry's back and tell him everything would be alright.
But Draco didn't know that. And the incredibly cynical realist in him kept budging in his nose, insisting that Harry would hardly ever do such a thing.
'Whatever,' He thought angrily. 'He still talked to me. That's something.'
And he liked him calling him Harry. Had Draco mentioned that one already? His stomach did a little squirm again. Harry had called him Draco. He loved it. He could definitely get used to the first name thing.
And he had the rest of the summer to look forward to seeing Harry, if not in school also.
'Eurgh, school.' There would definitely be a problem there. Not only with the Slytherin versus Gryffindor, or all of Slytherin hating Harry, but with Slytherin themselves. They would know about his mother. They would also know he disappeared after that, and it would definitely make them suspicious.
Draco tossed the pillow up to the ceiling. He really disliked this whole situation – and he really hated Death Eaters now. He didn't know why they'd attacked his mother or even leave her alive, but they'd no doubt keep up the attempt. Whoever did it in the first place would pay.
His mind wandered back to Harry. He absolutely thought of Draco as only a friend if his little speech to the Weasleys was any clue. Harry would never want to be with him.
Draco imitated Harry waving his hand around. 'Like that.' What the hell?
Gods, who was he kidding? Draco pulled the pillow over his face and yelled into it. Malfoys never showed emotion, but this was the first Malfoy in love with Harry Potter.
Harry bounded up the steps to the second floor. He noticed the door across from his – 'Draco's room,' he realized – was shut still. It would probably stay like that for the rest of summer. Harry rolled his eyes, thinking of the blond on the other side of the door. Avoiding Ron and Hermione at all costs, all right, coming out to talk to him like that.
He entered his room and sat down on the bed, flopping onto his back. His hand groped the nightstand blindly before finding his wand. He bought it towards him, absentmindedly playing with it, twirling the wand in his fingers. Harry hated leaving his wand anywhere.
Was Draco really mad? If he was, Harry figured it was because he'd been interrupted and not paid attention to down in the hall.
Harry's head was beginning to pound as it whirled with thoughts of Draco Malfoy. The boy, who'd done nothing but give him hell for the last five years, and the son of one of Voldemort's right-hand Death Eaters at that, had joked with him just a few moments before. He wanted to fight for the side of light. He also didn't say anything really antagonizing to Harry. In fact, he seemed to almost care about Harry. 'Weird.'
Weirder yet, Harry was sure Ron would have come running in by now. Or he'd have at least popped his head in to check on him. Maybe he didn't want to anger Harry again.
Harry flipped his wand into the air and caught it around the middle. He certainly seemed less inclined to bite Malfoy's head off than Ron's or even Hermione's. He really couldn't figure it out. He might as well stop trying. Hopefully they wouldn't set him off again, and he'd be able to apologize.
A colder voice emerged from the depths of his mind, why should you apologize though? They were being bloody insensitive, talking about your hated professor, your personal problems…
'They're my best friends,' he answered the voice.
Best friends who don't even care enough to check up on you? The voice whispered slyly.
'…They're just giving me space.' Harry thought back after hesitating. He didn't actually know. Giving him space was what seemed most likely. What if they didn't care? They could just be pretending to care because he was Harry Potter the Magical Boy-Who-Lived. Did they pity him? Were they already getting sick of putting up with him? Would they wait until he failed the prophecy then move on with their lives?
The repulsively sly voice inside his head offered no other argument, only a small chuckle of victory. When nothing else came from it, Harry shook his head to free it from the mass of thoughts. He really wasn't thinking clearly. Ron and Hermione would never do that to him. 'What kind of a stupid git am I, believing my friends are so fake?'
Harry ran his free hand through his still unbrushed and extremely unruly, black hair. He could really use Sirius or Lupin about now, to give him advice, or to listen to him. Or even just sit with him. Too late, Harry realized he had included Sirius, and the image of him falling behind the dreaded veil flashed in his memory again. The burning sensation in the corner of his eyes returned. They'd tapered off when he had talked been to Malfoy, but now… now he was alone.
Harry sat up as suddenly as he realized this. He yanked open his trunk at the foot of the bed, rummaging around through it until he got to his school things. Finding what he wanted, he pulled the textbook out of the mess inside. Inside the book lay a piece of parchment with half an essay written on it for Charms. He scooped a slightly weathered quill and bottle of black ink out of the trunk also, carrying them over to the desk. He'd do his damn homework meanwhile – anything to get his mind off those depressing thoughts.
After a few hours, dinner was prepared and the table was full of people. Besides Harry and the twins, Ron and Hermione, Ginny, Mrs. Weasley, Mad-Eye Moody and Tonks were also there. Tonks's hair was spiked and blue tonight. She sat between Ginny and Hermione, while Ron was on the other side of Hermione. Across from him were Fred, George and Harry. Mrs. Weasley and Moody sat at the table ends.
Harry had done his best to do his homework, actually getting a lot of it done as he vehemently refused to think of anything but for a long while. However, as the minutes stretched into hours, and there was no sign of Ron to dredge him away from it, he ended up thinking about it all even more. Luckily, the twins interrupted the confused and bitter thoughts by announcing dinner was ready.
Currently, Mrs. Weasley was ignoring the twins, who had their heads bent together as they whispered. Harry knew they were watching for Ron to eat or do something or other, for one of their jokes. He wondered idly what they've been developing this time again.
Moody was talking to Tonks in undertones, but Harry couldn't really look either of them in the face. Tonks had seen Harry at his worst at the Dursleys', and he could feel Moody's magic eye on him, studying him. He was quite used to Moody's appearance, with scars, the eye, and the chunk of nose missing, but it never changed the way he felt when being studied by the bright magic eye, like it could see right through him.
The seat next to him was empty. Draco was still up in his room then. This thought made Harry look over at Ron and Hermione, down at the other end of the table. That didn't suppress his early apprehensions either. They weren't even sitting with him.
Ginny looked almost as lonely as Harry did. Ginny had grown more into her figure, developing more girlish curves. Her eyes kept moving from Ron and Hermione to him. He caught her brown eyes and smiled, which she returned.
She rolled her eyes at the two on the other side of Tonks and grinned at him. They were oblivious to the whole table, whispering to each other like Fred and George were. Oblivious to Harry.
Suddenly the food in front of him seemed less appealing. He poked at it a bit with his fork when Mrs. Weasley glanced at him. Catching Ginny's eyes again, he pointedly looked to the empty chair next to him, nodded up to the ceiling then shrugged his shoulders to ask about Malfoy. Ginny shook her head slightly then tilted her head towards Ron. Then she motioned down with her head to the table. Harry followed the look and saw her touch her place, which he saw had another underneath it.
Of course Draco wouldn't willingly eat with them. Harry rolled his eyes at her, causing her to giggle out loud. Not that anyone noticed it, as caught up in their own conversations and food as they were.
The sound of a door opening and closing signaled the arrival of an Order member. Harry moved his gaze over to the door as Lupin stuck his head in. His graying light brown hair was hanging around his tired face. His suit, also a light brown, complete with the usual patches, appeared worn as if he had been busy all day.
"Remus! Come in and have some food, you're just in time." Mrs. Weasley prompted.
"Ah, thanks, Molly." Lupin took the seat next to Harry and grinned at him. "Hey Harry."
"Hey Moony." He grinned back.
"Hey Rem." Tonks spoke up from next to Ginny.
"Nymph." Lupin acknowledged, still grinning.
Tonks scowled, shaking her fist at him mockingly. "Bugger. It's Tonks!"
"It's Remus." She rolled her eyes and went back to eating.
Hermione gasped, drawing Harry's attention, along with everyone else's to her and Ron. Fred and George suddenly burst out laughing next to Harry, dragging in Tonks and Ginny as soon as they saw what had them in stitches. Moody and Mrs. Weasley frowned, even though Moody's human eye showed amusement. Remus appeared surprised and Harry looked back at Ron, watching as his nose changed shape, growing into a familiar hooked nose not unlike the one of his least favorite professor. Ron's red Weasley hair had already lengthened, turning black and greasy.
Ron looked over at Hermione alarmed, with his hand over his changing nose. As the twins continued laughing, he whipped his head over to stare at them suspiciously. "What did you do?" He squeaked, now fully glaring over his hand.
Moody spoke up, "Snape would look good with blue eyes." He cracked a smile that made his face appear more frightening. The twins quieted down, adopting innocent looks.
"Whatever do you mean, Ronniekins?" Fred smiled.
"What did you do to me!?" Ron's other hand began feeling his hair, after he saw Hermione looking at it.
"What did you do to your brother, you two?" Mrs. Weasley finally spoke up.
"We didn't do anything! We can't help it if he suddenly wants to…" Off his mother's death glare, George grinned and answered truthfully, catching Harry's eye, "Snape Snoovles. They dissolve in drinks. It only lasts – " George glanced at Fred.
"--Half an hour." Fred answered.
"HALF AN HOUR??" Ron jumped up from the table and left the room quickly, presumably going to his own room. Hermione glared at the twins before following after him, flashing a brief apologetic look to Mrs. Weasley.
Harry ate a bit more as everyone stared after the two while Mrs. Weasley chastised the twins for pranking their brother. Tonks turned to look at him as if questioning if he would go after them. He waved his free hand and shrugged. It really was his problem. They hadn't come looking for him at all when he was in his room, doing homework, and not sitting with him at the table just added to the whole thing.
Harry was sitting on his bed a little later that night with Lupin next to him. He was once again playing with his wand instead of looking at Lupin.
"What's on your mind, Harry?" Harry stopped twirling his wand.
"…Ron and Hermione, among others."
"What about them?" Lupin turned towards Harry attentively.
He frowned slightly, "I don't know. It's just… They didn't sit with me at dinner."
Lupin smiled at Harry's down turned face, not laughing out loud because he knew Harry had more on his mind than mere seating arrangements. He simply waited for him to continue.
Harry sighed. "I don't know if I should tell them…" His eyes met the werewolf's. "About the prophecy."
Hm. "Go on, Dumbledore told me about it."
His eyes went back to the wand in his lap. "I mean, I've been fearing that they'd move on, because they don't want a friend who has to... kill or be killed. But then they felt it would be bad for them to drop off before it's happened because it would put them in bad light. So they're just waiting for it so then they can leave me. Waiting for me to fail and die so they can have happy lives. I've put them in danger every year I've known them, and it's only increasingly worse as it goes on. And I'm afraid if they find out about it, or the truce today…" Harry let it all spill out of him, burying his face in his hands as he trailed off.
Lupin took all this in. Harry was afraid they didn't want to be his friend. "What truce?"
He ran both hands up through his messy black hair as he answered, "That's another thing on my mind. Do you know Draco Malfoy is staying here?" He didn't wait for Lupin to reply him before continuing. "He is. I don't know why yet, but he is. He came outside today and had a halfway decent conversation with me – "
"Alone?" Lupin interrupted. "You spoke to a Malfoy alone, knowing his father is a Death Eater?"
"Think about it Moony, would Dumbledore let a Death Eater stay here? He wants to fight with us. He doesn't want to serve Voldemort or his father anymore. So I accepted his white flag. I certainly don't need to see him as an enemy anymore. I have only two enemies: Voldemort and his Death Eaters." Harry flopped back onto the bed.
"So why wouldn't Hermione and Ron see it like you do?" Lupin asked reasonably. Harry's movements meant he was getting restless.
"There's the problem. It's like stabbing their backs, dealing with the enemy. And it's really screwed up because we've been against each other for five years, and he's called Hermione Mudblood so many times, and made fun of Ron in every way possible. I don't know. I've had thoughts about Malfoy before this, and a truce, so it's not like it's not been coming for a while."
Lupin looked down at his best friend's son while hearing him pour his heart out. So much, for one person barely of age.
"Well… here's my thoughts Harry. You should tread carefully around Malfoy, no matter what. Even if he's on our side, he still might be watched. And it's good to start gaining allies somewhere, especially between Houses. I think you're right, about all of what you are saying about Voldemort. He's your main enemy. But I do not believe you will fail, Harry." Lupin smiled down at the troubled boy. "You are a truly gifted wizard, and very powerful. Ron and Hermione know this. They wouldn't desert you, now or ever. You three make quite the team, very much like your father, Sirius and I did. They're in this together with you, Harry. If you don't want to worry them about the prophecy, you don't have to tell them, okay?"
Harry hesitated before nodding. 'If we're in this together, what are they keeping from me?' The thought flashed through his head, causing him to shake it away mentally. Lupin was right of course. But as much as it helped quell his small fears, he couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy still.
"Kinda silly of me to think that, huh?" He bit his lip nervously. Footsteps creaked along outside his door as someone passed through the hall. The corners of his mouth turned up weakly as he saw Lupin was still smiling.
"Not at all, Harry. You're just being cautious, with good reason, considering how life's been for you. It's a lot to take on. When did you think about all of this, anyway?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Mostly the beginning of summer, and when I was supposed to be doing homework earlier today."
"What a great first day you've had." Lupin laughed.
Harry was walking down the darkened corridor, brushing his hand blindly along the wall to lead the way. He knew he was close to it. Soon, he saw light, from an opened doorway.
The hall led straight into the amphitheater-like room with the dais, eerily lit by crudely made white candles. Sirius was standing in the center, smiling towards Harry. He looked much like he had during Christmas, smiling like when everyone had been at Grimmauld. Harry wanted to grin back, but the presence of others in the room stopped him. Cedric Diggory was sitting on one of the steps to the left of the dais with the Ministry woman, Bertha Jorkins, both looking at Harry. Harry's parents were on the other side, closer to Sirius, smiling towards him, alive and well. Ron and Hermione were huddled together at the front of the dais, smiling and beckoning him.
Next to Harry however, was the man who took them all away. Lord Voldemort stood erect, his arm, cloaked in black material, draped around Harry's shoulders. Harry could not pull away, as he so wanted to, nor tear his eyes from Voldemort's cold red eyes. The slits of pupils were focused not on him, but on the people around the dais.
"Harry," He whispered in his cold voice, looking down to the boy. "You will choose whom is to die first this time."
A/N: Fourth chap! This one was hard to write, and it took a while. I cut off ch4 from where I intended, just to have the usual lame cliff. So I've already started ch5. I'm trying to keep notes and comments to a minimum… it takes up words. So I just want to say -thank you-, I really appreciate all the input and feedback! Hint: Ten reviews per chap is my goal.